Date	Average Oil Price
09/19/2024	$3.199
09/18/2024	$3.199
09/17/2024	$3.199
09/16/2024	$3.199
09/15/2024	$3.199
09/14/2024	$3.199
09/13/2024	$3.199
09/12/2024	$3.199
09/11/2024	$3.199
09/10/2024	$3.199

Propane vs. Natural Gas vs. Heating Oil: Windsor County Home Heating Fuel Comparison

Homeowners have a variety of home heating fuels to choose from. Heating oil is the most popular choice in Windsor County, used by 108,499 or 41.06% of homes. The 2nd most popular choice for Windsor County homeowners is natural gas, used by 50,127 homes (18.97%). The remaining homes are heated with propane (50,123), wood (35,629), electricity (19,788), and other fuels (7,814).

Windsor County Primary Home Heating Fuel Popularity by Number of Households

Fuel	Windsor County Households	% of Households
Heating Oil	108,499	41.1%
Natural Gas	50,127	19.0%
Propane	50,123	19.0%
Wood	35,629	13.5%
Electricity	19,788	7.5%
Other Fuels	5,692	2.2%
Solar	1,042	0.4%
No Fuel	619	0.2%
Coal	461	0.2%

Heating oil (41.1%)

Natural gas (19.0%)

Propane (19.0%)

Wood (13.5%)

Electricity (7.5%)

Other fuels (2.2%)

Solar (0.4%)

No fuel (0.2%)

Coal (0.2%)

#2 Heating Oil (Fuel Oil) Use in Windsor County

Heating oil has become less popular in Windsor County. In the 4 years since 2018, the number of heating oil homes fell from 110,704 to 108,499, a 1.99% drop.

Windsor County Heating Oil Households (2011 - 2022)

Year	Heating Oil Households
2011	128,566
2012	124,072
2013	119,422
2014	117,459
2015	114,826
2016	111,441
2017	111,092
2018	110,704
2019	108,976
2020	110,870
2021	108,747
2022	108,499

Propane vs. Natural Gas use for home heating in Windsor County

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using propane as the primary space heating fuel rose from 42,112 to 50,123.

Between 2018 and today, the number of homes using natural gas as the primary space heating fuel rose from 46,095 to 50,127.

Electricity use for home heating in Windsor County

Electric space heating systems are becoming more popular in Windsor County. Since 2018, the number of homes heating with electricity rose from 12,957 to 19,788, a 52.72% increase.

Solar use for home heating in Windsor County

Solar is the most environmentally friendly of all space heating fuels. With an “active” solar heating system, liquid is circulated between solar panels on a home’s roof and a heat energy storage tank in the basement.

Currently, 1,042 homes in Windsor County are heated with active solar arrays. This is a 113.09% increase from 2018, when only 489 homes had installed active solar heating.

Windsor County Heating Oil Trends

Last year, Windsor County homeowners purchased a total of 5 million gallons of heating oil.

Short Term Trends

Windsor County’s overall heating oil use varies from year to year, primarily depending on how cold each winter is. As the temperature outside gets colder, homes’ heating systems need to burn more and more oil to keep homes warm. Last winter in Windsor County, the average outside temperature was 6.2° F warmer than the prior winter's average outside temperature.

Windsor County Average Winter Temperature

Heating Season	Average Temperature
Winter 2023 - 2024	24.8° F
Winter 2022 - 2023	18.6° F

Windsor County Homeowner’s Guide to Selecting an Oil Company

For Windsor County homeowners heating with oil, selecting which of the 7 heating oil companies that serve Windsor County is an important decision.

Full Service Oil Companies: Homeowners willing to pay a premium for a “set-it-and-forget-it” heating system choose one of the 0 “full-service” oil companies that serve Windsor County. Full service companies such as undefined or undefined offer automatic fuel delivery and furnace repair under a single roof.

Discount Oil Companies: Also known by the names “COD Fuel Companies” or “Cash Heating Oil Companies”, these companies are for the budget-conscious Windsor County homeowner. In return for better prices, you monitor the oil level in your tank and place an order when you run low on oil. Examples of cash heating oil companies that serve Windsor County include BART Energy Llc and Jam Fuel Llc.

Windsor County Heating Oil Company Fast Facts

Heating Oil Companies Serving Windsor County: 7 companies

Average Number Of Windsor County Homes Served Per Company: 789 homes

Average Gallons Delivered per Windsor County Oil Company: 670,175 gallons per year

Windsor County Heating Oil Delivery Overview

Approximately 5,526 households in Windsor County heat their homes with fuel oil. This makes oil delivery essential, especially when Windsor County temperatures drop as low as 42.5° F each winter.

56% of Windsor County Households Rely On Heating Oil Delivery Each Winter

Windsor County Households	Windsor County Heating Oil Households
9,751	5,526

34 Windsor County Oil Companies Go the Distance

With 5 million gallons of heating oil delivered to Windsor County homeowners during the winter of 2023, the Windsor County community relies on its 34 oil companies to keep warm.

Oil delivery is a two step process: First, an oil truck picks up oil at the nearest bulk fuel terminal. In the case of Windsor County, two of the closest terminals are Apex in Rensselaer, NY and Buckeye in Albany, NY. Then, the truck delivers the #2 heating oil to homes and businesses in Windsor County.